Naruto: Indestructible Titan
by xNamikazeKyuubix
Summary: When one of the seven deadly sins personified is given a second chance in the form of being sealed into the body of an important infant, he accepts it without hesitation. Witness the birth of a hero whose spirit is as unbreakable as his skin, a grin as devilish as the demon sealed within him. His body is the ultimate weapon, his sword and his shield. Greed!Naruto Pairing Undecided!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto nor do I own the rights to FMAB.**

**Hello everyone, for better or for worse you could say that I am back! Finally my muse decided to return to me, after a long breakup period!**

**Sudden story idea that had popped into my head, especially when I just re-watched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood again. Once again I have to reiterate that it is still one of the best anime that I have had the pleasure of watching, plot-wise as well as animation-wise. One character that caught my interest (besides the bombshell known as Lust) has to be Greed, both as his first form and as Greed-Ling. His character and powers were what drew me to him in the first place, especially since he was killed off in the anime.**

**Possible pairings off the top of my mind: Guren, Hanabi, Yugito, Yūgao or a harem.  
**

**So as a result, this idea popped into my head and has been festering there for many weeks until the result is seen strewn out before you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Prologue: Rebirth of Sin

When his supposed 'father' had cruelly decided to cut short his existence from the mortal plane, he did not expect any form of afterlife since he was basically an artificial product created using forbidden techniques. However apparently having a core composed of multiple tormented souls classified him as a living being, which was why Greed's ethereal form was now floating in an empty white space with an ominous looking metal gate towering over him.

The gate was composed of two giant metal slabs that worked as the doors, upon their surface were multiple alchemy-related carvings that he could not decipher but was sure that were important. The gates were sealed firmly shut and nothing else existed within the empty plane of existence.

"Man if this is heaven... it really sucks." Greed could not help but comment offhandedly.

"You could call it heaven..." A voice spoke up from behind causing the soul fragment to spin around in surprise, only to see a rather disturbing figure sitting on the previously unoccupied ground. It was roughly the shape of a teen human child and that was where the similarities ended, it had no features except a wide grinning mouth that occupied the bottom half of its face.

"Whoa shit! Where the fuck did you come from?"

"As I was saying you could say that this place is heaven... or even hell. Some people call this space, or maybe the universe and others may call this purgatory. This is the place where all things begin and all things end." The figure answered enigmatically.

"Okay... and who are you supposed to be?"

"Who am I? One name you might have for me is the world, or you might call me the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am All, and I am One. So, of course, this also means that I am you." Truth, as he had introduced, grinned as he extended his finger towards the apparition of Greed. "Greed the avaricious, Greed the homunculus, I know what you are."

"Oh really now? Please do enlighten me, I've been dying to know what I am ever since I was born." Greed mocked in sarcasm.

"You are the accumulation of all the Greed within the Philosopher's Stone that was created at Xerxes, a cardinal sin given form and life by a pathetic artificial life-form attempting to play god. You are an abomination to the natural order of the world yet at the same time... you have evolved past that." Truth spoke, its grin never leaving.

"What does that even mean?!"

"What does it mean? It means that... you are interesting. You destroyed the boundaries that contained and retrained you, you have effectively transitioned from a Homunculus into something more... something human."

"Bah human, Homunculus, I don't care. I know what I am Greed the Avaricious, I want women, fame, power, wealth! I want-"

"Another chance at life?" Truth cut in mid-rant, his signature grin etched out on his blank face as he looked at the dumbfounded expression on the ethereal figures face.

"Wait... what? You mean you can revive me?"

"I can... but I won't."

"But you just said!"

"I did and I can revive you but I'm not going to... or at least not in the manner that you thinking of. Your time in that world has passed, the 'truth' that you have learnt will follow you always... even into your new lease at life." Truth said as he clapped his hands together.

Greed watched transfixed as a portal formed between the separating palms of the God-like being, he managed to make out a distorted view of a village under attack by what he assumed to be a giant fox with nine tails. He could see the inhabitants of the world performing impossible feats such as blowing fireballs from their mouths, walking on walls and many other feats.

"Well fuck me sideways, how are they doing that without any alchemy circles?! Not to mention that giant ass fox rampaging all over their asses, damn that's badass!" Greed shook in laughter

"The world that you will be entering is inhabited by a different kind of Homo-Sapient, they have evolved a secondary circulatory system of some sort that carries a strong vital energy that allows them to perform these amazing feats that you just witnessed. Worry not, part of the 'truth' that I will impart to you will contain all the information you need to know about these 'Elemental Nations'. Before any other questions, let me explain the full context of your reincarnation." Truth snapped his fingers as the image displayed in the portal switched to that of a crying child laying along on a bed.

"A baby?"

"Not just any mere babe, this will be your host. The catalyst of your second lease at life if you will. Very much like how you interacted with Ling, now you will share the same bond with this boy. However you will not be able to seize control of his body like you did with your previous host, only if he grants you permission then can your consciousness take over. A rough life lies ahead for this child, and by association, you as well. Many will seek his death, though be it for personal reasons or part of a much larger scheme..."

"That's a pretty tall order God, you sure you're looking at the right person for the job?" Greed said with a speculative look.

"I am Truth, I am everything so that means I am also you. If I believe that you are the right person, does that not also mean that you believe in yourself?"

"That's some pretty deep shit... well that is better than floating around this stupid endless void for the rest of eternity! Where do I sign up?"

"Excellent, I knew you would agree." Truth stated with his grin, getting a snort from the greedy spirit. "He will retain all of your Homunculus powers that you originally had, which was the manipulation of the carbon atoms inside the body. However in addition to that, the 'Truth' that I will impart to you will give a significant boost to your current repertoire of powers."

"Now that's what I'm talking about! So what will he be able to do? Shoot lasers from his eyes? Ice breath? Flight?"

"Now where's the fun in revealing them to you? I'm sure that together with the boy, you will be able to discover what new secrets that your powers hold." Truth said before turning towards the portal. "Prepare yourself, the time of your departure approaches."

The two figures watched as the blond-haired man perform a technique that apparently summoned the Shinigami (God of Death), which then proceeded to seal half of the giant fox's power into the man. They watched as the parents of the child leaped into the path of the descending claw to protect their offspring, sealing their fate as the light slowly left their eyes. After a few parting words from parents to child, the final sealing commenced. Greed felt his essence slowly being absorbed into the portal as Truth watched, grin still in place.

"Looks like I'll see you around eh?" Greed chuckled as the last of his ethereal form vanished into the portal, which then faded out of existence.

"Everything revolves around equivalent exchange, for something given, an equivalent has to be returned... now what shall I do with you I wonder?" Truth pondered with his grin in place, arm outstretched and pulsing with the blue glow of chakra.

* * *

_Konohagakure no Sato  
2100hrs  
5 Minutes after the sealing_

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, was not a man that was easily stumped by life. One did not get the title of 'The Professor' by sitting around twiddling their thumbs when a situation reared its head, a great many wars have been averted due to his sharp mind and intellect. However the great Sandaime was stumped as he gazed at the sleeping visage of the blond-haired, whisker-cheeked babe that lay in the crib before him.

The child of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato also known as the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Yellow Flash of the Leaf) after he had swiftly dispatched over three hundred Iwagakure shinobi by himself during the Third Great Shinobi War using his signature techniques. The Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God), a complicated Jikūkan Ninjutsu (Space-Time Technique) that used a Fūinjutsu formula on the tags attached to his specialised kunai thus allowing him to teleport to each tag in a yellow flash of light. His second signature move was the Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere), an A-ranked jutsu that consisted of a condensed sphere of rapidly spiralling chakra that would grind away at the target before exploding with lethal force. This was the only shinobi to ever gain the SS-ranked position in the bingo books after the passing of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

On the maternal side, the child was born of Uzumaki Kushina. The last full-blooded Uzumaki of the royal lineage, thus meaning that her Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai was stronger than other Uzumaki. Of which was an increased life-force, chakra pool, the ability to understand and breakdown complicated Fūinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) with a glance as well as manipulation of raw chakra. She was also the previous Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox), though she never relied on the Bijū to attain her well-deserved S-rank within the bingo book.

Nor was that the end of it, the babe was now also the Jinchuuriki of the Yang half of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko. Even with only half of the beasts' power sealed inside him, it was still a lot of destructive power that anyone would pay to get their hands on. Added together with his lineage, that just painted a huge bright red bulls-eye on the boy. Which was why he was extra careful not to let any information leak out to the populace yet, information was power after all. At the moment, only he and his personal ANBU unit knew of what had transpired.

'I can't let a clan adopt him as that would just cause unnecessary problems in the balance of power, I can't send him to Danzo… that's such a horrible idea that I can't even remember why I even considered it…' Hiruzen pondered internally as he used Katon manipulation to ignite the scented tobacco of his pipe, he took a small puff before blowing out a ring of smoke.

"I also can't leave him at the orphanage… while I am not as ruthless as Danzo, I also understand that this young babe holds a lot of potential. Potential that should not be wasted. Any ideas?" He asked aloud, as if talking to himself yet knowing that his trusted bodyguards remained hidden in the shadows.

"If I may Sandaime-sama?" A rather lanky silver-haired ANBU dropped from the shadows of the corner of the room.

"Any idea is welcomed at this point." He gestured for the man to carry on.

Removing his mask, the man revealed himself as Hatake Kakashi. A shinobi famed for his usage of the implanted Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) within his left eye socket, earning him the moniker of Sharingan no Kakashi (Kakashi of the Sharingan). Within the circle of ANBU operatives, he also garnered another nickname. He was known as Reiketsu no Kakashi (Cold-Blooded Kakashi), for dispatching every single one of his foes with a single-minded focus and without mercy. He was also the student of Namikaze Minato and the son of Hatake Sakumo, the Konoha no Shiroi Kiba (White Fang of the Leaf).

"As you know, Yondaime-sama was my sensei… Minato-sensei was also like a father-figure to me. He gave me reason to live after I lost both Obito and Rin, he saw the excellent shinobi in me that I myself did not see. I also acted as Kushina-san's shadow for the entire duration of her pregnancy, on order of Minato-sensei. I… I would like to repay my debt to him by at least raising his son into the fine shinobi that I know he will be." Kakashi stated with conviction.

"Hmm… you raise a good many points Kakashi. However are you not part of my Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactics Squad)? Where would you find the time to raise a child?"

"I would gladly resign from my post if it meant being able to repay my debt to Minato-sensei, I believe that my position would be easily filled by another capable shinobi." Kakashi replied.

"I see… while I am proud of your dedication towards your deceased sensei, I am afraid I cannot grant you custody of young Naruto here." Raising a hand to forestall any arguments, he continued. "The reason for my decision is that your reason while valid, is not exactly something I can permit. You see raising young Naruto as a form of repentance rather than genuinely caring about his wellbeing, you know what I'm speaking is the truth!"

"Sandaime-sama…"

"In addition to that, you are also the strongest member within my ANBU unit. With the destruction caused by the Kyuubi's rampage, chaos and anarchy would be soon to follow. Not to mention the fallout that will happen once other villages catch wind of what has happened this night, your services in ANBU will be needed during this trying period."

"I… understand Sandaime-sama." Kakashi whispered in defeat as he placed his mask back into place, once again blending back into the shadows.

'Minato deigned that Jiraiya be granted custody of the child were something to happen, but I already deployed him to run damage control with his spy network. Tsunade… has not been seen ever since she took off all those years ago with young Shizune. That leaves me with… Orochimaru.' Hiruzen stroked his beard as he pondered about his last student, who also happened to be the only one within Konoha's walls at the moment. 'Orochimaru is smart, resourceful and talented. Plus he also knows what it is like to be an orphan, he also has no apprentice to speak off…'

"I have decided… Kuma (Bear), please fetch Orochimaru of the Sannin for me."

A scarce few minutes later and a cylindrical plume of smoke erupted in the middle of his office, clearing away to reveal the pale-visage of his student and member of the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja). Clad in a rather battle-worn Jounin outfit of Konoha shinobi, the rather tall man with waist-length black hair and golden eyes with slits in the pupils, cut an intimidating figure.

"You called for me Sensei?" Orochimaru asked, his voice with its usual raspy quality to it.

"Hai... I have something of utmost importance for you to do." The Sandaime said with a cough, taking another long drawl of his pipe. "You are among the few privy to the marriage of Namikaze Minato to Uzumaki Kushina, this babe before you is the result of their love. Meet Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

The Snake-Sannin's eyes widened in surprise as his gaze raked over the small child, small tufts of blond hair and a whisker-marked visage hardly spoke of anything remotely dangerous. Yet the man knew of the power within the young baby, he could feel the aura surrounding the crib and he knew exactly what had transpired.

"Minato… he sealed the beast within his own son. Turning his very own flesh and blood into a living sacrifice… a Jinchuuriki." Orochimaru stated in amazement, not believing the Yondaime capable of performing such a task towards his own new-born. "With the lineage of both his parents… plus the power of the strongest Bijū at his beck and call…"

"Exactly. Now you see why I have called you here, I want you to be the one to raise Naruto."

Orochimaru was stunned speechless, Kakashi was stunned speechless and even the other ANBU operatives within the confines of the room were stunned speechless at what their leader had decided. While Orochimaru was not the worst parental figure, he certainly was not the best choice either and the man himself would concur with that statement. With his ruthless attitude in battle, cold indifference towards his comrades and generally unpleasant aura. Everyone wondered what exactly the elderly Kage was smoking.

"Sorry Sarutobi-sensei, I believe I must have suffered some kind of trauma to my head thus resulting in a form of hearing deficiency. I swear I heard you say that you wanted me, Orochimaru of the Sannin, to raise a baby."

"No your ears are perfectly fine Orochimaru, I did entrust young Naruto's upbringing to you. While there may be some qualities that you indeed lack, don't forget that you are also intelligent, cunning, resourceful and a genius shinobi. I am sure that you will raise this child to be a fantastic shinobi of your calibre, or to an even greater height." Sarutobi explained his reasoning before gesturing towards the crib. "Remember that nobody is to be informed of Naruto's burden nor of his lineage, he will be informed of them at your own discretion but emphasise to him that he is to keep it a secret until he can properly defend himself."

"Hai… I understand Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru bowed respectfully before picking up the sleeping babe in his arms and walking out the office, mind still in turmoil.

"Are you sure that was a wise idea Sandaime-sama?" Kakashi's voice echoed from one of the corners.

"Only time will tell… only time will tell…"

Not too long after, his brief respite of peace was broken by the arrival of his three advisors. Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo were all long-time friends of his, the former two being his teammates and the latter being his rival in all but name. Mitokado Homura was known for his masterful use of Katon Ninjutsu (Fire Release Techniques), bordering on the mastery displayed by Uchiha clan members that were born with a strong affinity for fire styled techniques. Utatane Koharu was famed as the original Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, though her real prowess lay in her sharp intellect that rivalled the minds of the best Nara strategists.

Shimura Danzo was a different case from the former two, he was not famous throughout the Elemental Nations yet shinobi have all heard of his exploits and abilities. This was a man that embodied the true will of a shinobi, striking from the shadows and fading away before anyone could even notice. The man specialised in his Futon Ninjutsu (Wind Release Techniques) along with a penchant for laying traps and using deceit to accomplish the job for him. Thus earning him the moniker 'Yami no Shinobi' otherwise known as the 'Darkness of the Ninja', symbolising his ruthless methods and shady character.

'Yet there is not a person who loves Konoha more than him.' Hiruzen thought to himself, allowing a small smile to splay across his aged face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Now is not the time for your usual antics Hiruzen, the village has been heavily crippled by the Kyuubi and we lost a good third of our shinobi forces. I know that the Yondaime has sealed the beast away, where is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko?" Danzo said straight to the point, his voice sharp and determined.

"Sharp as ever Danzo. However I do not see how the Jinchuuriki would be of any concern to any of you, I have already made plans for his upbringing and training." Hiruzen replied in kind, tone indicating that he would not entertain any of their foolishness.

"We are your advisors, we need to be privy to this kind of information!" Homura interjected.

"And I care why? Do I need to remind you three that I am the Hokage? If I so choose to withhold said information from you, then all you can do is agree and suck your thumbs even if you disagree! The less people that know of our Jinchuuriki means the less likely that the information would be leaked out, that is not something that we have the resources to deal with at the moment! Imagine the assassins and kidnappers that would follow in the wake of such information getting out!"

"…apparently you have put much thought into this. I retract my statement. I shall entrust this matter to your judgement Hiruzen, don't let me down." Danzo conceded, inwardly pleased that the tactical genius of his rival still burnt bright behind the wrinkled visage.

Surprised by the quick concession of the bandaged elder, the other two tried but failed to come up with a proper counter-argument towards their former teammates' statement. Begrudgingly they also laid the matter to rest, instead choosing to bow their heads slightly before leaving the room. Danzo gave a small nod of respect as he followed them out, briefly glancing at the portrait of the Yondaime Hokage for a moment before closing the door behind him.

"…well that went better than expected." The Sandaime remarked, getting silent nods of agreement from his hidden guards.

* * *

_Orochimaru's Home/Lair_

For quite possibly the first time in his life, the Snake-Sannin found himself stumped. Slumped on a simple wooden chair, he stared at the blond-haired babe sleeping on his couch. While the man may be a genius when it came to the various Shinobi Arts, as well as several theoretical things, he did not have the slightest clue about raising a child.

Orochimaru was neither stupid nor gullible, he knew that he definitely was not the first person in mind when the elderly Kage was thinking of a suitable guardian for the child. Jiraiya or Tsunade, even kakashi would have been better suited in the upbringing of a babe. However in the same manner he had deduced that, the pale-skinned man also knew that his teacher had his own reasons for coming to this decision.

"Okay let's look at this from a different point of view… I've read multiple books on the human psyche as well as books on the biological makeup of the human body. How hard could raising a child be?" Orochimaru said to reassure himself, slightly succeeding in boosting his self-confidence up again.

Little did he know how much those words would come back to haunt him.

_Within the confines of baby Naruto's Mindscape _

Greed groaned as he cracked open his eyes, he blinked a few times to adjust them to the dim lighting of wherever the hell he had ended up. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he had a fully functional body once again, it was modelled after Ling as that was the way he looked when he had discovered his humanity. Popping his bones, the man leapt to his feet and begin several stretching exercises to limber up his muscles.

"Yeesh, where the hell did that stupid God drop me? This place looks like a sewer, except it doesn't smell as bad." Greed grumbled as he took in his surroundings, noting the strange energy that flowed through the pipes of the supposed sewer.

Closer inspection of the pipes showed that there were two different kinds of energy, chakra was what they called it, flowing through the pipes. The main pipelines were humming with a soft blue glow, as the smaller sub-pipes that connected to the main ones were pulsing with a much deadlier crimson glow. Greed grasped his head in pain as a sudden influx of information assaulted his brain, this was the 'truth' that was being imparted to him as part of the deal.

Several minutes passed as the Homunculus struggled to piece together the information, it took a good chunk of an hour for the memories to fully assimilate into his brain. The first realisation was that he was now sealed within the child, Naruto, and the area he had woken up in was the subconscious realm of his host. The pipes represented the chakra circulatory system, with the larger pipes being the main chakra network and the smaller pipes representing the function of the seal that filtered a portion of the Kyuubi's corrosive chakra into the main network.

"Oh that means I'm not alone inside this dreary place! Time to find big, bad and fluffy I guess!"

Whistling a jaunty tune as he strolled down the narrow pathways that consisted the majority of the mindscape, Greed followed the direction from which the secondary pipes emerged. Eventually he came upon a large clearing that resembled an old-fashioned boiler room, except with large metal gates held close by a flimsy piece of paper with some scribbles on it. Deciding that was the most likely place the giant fox demon could be residing, he walked right up to it and rapped his knuckles against one of the bar.

"Knock, knock! Anybody home?" He shouted into the darkness of the cage, waiting for a response of some kind.

BAM!

Which came in the form of a giant orange-furred arm shooting out of the cage and smashing him face-first into the ground, kicking up a large spray of sewer water into the air from the impact. The fox grinned, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth, as it crushed the pathetic human that had dared mock him within his cage. However the glee soon turned to shock as he felt movement from under its paw, quickly jerking it back when he felt two sharp objects bite into it.

"Geez cranky little fucker aren't you? All I wanted to do was introduce myself, yet you try to squish me under your paw like a bug…" Greed mocked as he revealed his carbonized form, entire body a dull matte-grey with red lines tracing around his body. "Unfortunately you will find this bug to be rather hard to kill ne?"

"**You… I remember being sealed into the infant child of that blasted Yondaime Hokage! How is it that you are here with me, this is the representation of the boy's subconscious mind… you definitely aren't the boy, nor do I believe you are even fully human. I can sense the taint in your soul, a dark and chaotic power resides within you." **Kyuubi raised its hand and placed a claw directly in front of the Homunculus' chest.

"You're right, I am not human. At least not fully. Let me introduce myself…" Greed chuckled as he spread his hands open into the air. "I am Greed the Avaricious! I want women, power, fame, glory, wealth! Everything in this world I want to be in my possession! I am the personification of all of humanity's sin of greed!"

"…"

"Geez everyone's a critic! Well I was all of those things, now I just want to do one thing… and that is to make sure this kid becomes the biggest badass in the history of the Elemental Nations!" Greed smirked as he placed a hand on the claw in front of him. "And I know exactly how to go about doing that…"

**"If you think that I would assist you in training this pathetic whelp then you are sorely mistaken, there is no way I would stoop so low as to associate myself with disgusting ningens (humans)!" **Kyuubi roared as it made a grab for the Homunculus, only for him to slap the attempt aside.

"As I always say, there is no such thing as no such thing~" Greed taunted with a grin, figuring that he had about five years to convince the bitter old demon to see things his way.

And so begin the tale of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto!

* * *

**So thus ends the prologue of my newest venture. Naruto will have all the powers of Greed during his stint in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe as well as a plethora of new powers, they will still link back to Greed's ability though! (Manipulation of Carbon atoms)**

**Remember to review who you think should be the pairing for this story! I've got a rough idea about who I want... or it could be a harem again... I think I will leave it to you, the readers, to decide! As always, you know the females I won't accept so don't place their names! **

**IMPORTANT! On a side note, I am trying to catch up with all of my older stories. Currently working on the next chapter of 'Path of the Samurai' as well as the first chapter of the remade 'Force Unleashed' that has been a long time coming (rejoice!). So I will leave it up to you all to decide, which of my stories do you want to see me complete/pay more attention to?**

**Path of the Samurai**

**Force Unleashed remake**

**Brethren of Fangs**

**Ghost Squad**

**This Story?**

**Drop a review to let me know!**

**Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

**Well here I am again, back with another chapter of Indestructible Titan. Read all of my reviews, thanks to all those fantastic people that reviewed, and decided to respond to them in case somebody has a misunderstanding. Now to address the issues stated.**

**Why is this not in the crossover section: I believe that a genuine crossover involves the protagonist crossing over completely into the next universe, thus ranking it as an official crossover. I just have Greed being sealed into Naruto, he will not have an actual impact or interaction with the story at all except through Naruto's actions.**

**Looks similar to Titan of Defence: Yes, Twin Silver Dragon was one of my friends within the author community and he had bounced ideas of me before regarding his story. This is my own take on the story with a more realistic approach, the story are not similar in any way except for Greed's skin hardening ability.**

**Harem: The reviews actually reminded me that this is GREED I am sealing into Naruto, obviously it would be a harem. I actually face-palmed myself after reading those reviews, can't believe I had forgotten. So as for the harem, I'm pretty sure the below mentioned ladies will be in.**

**Guren**

**Yūgao**

**Hanabi**

**There might be further additions, unsure as of the moment. Well enough from me, let the story take over from here!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Ultimate Shield

Orochimaru observed the sample of blood underneath the microscope, his scientifically-trained eye recording the findings as he quickly scribbled down the observations. The pale-skinned male had changed little over the course of five years, his waist-length black hair had been trimmed to a more manageable length and he had forgone his usual Jounin attire for a plain black sweater, slacks and a white lab coat to complete the ensemble.

Letting out a quite sigh, the man leaned back in his chair and removed the pair of black spectacles from his face to wipe away the beads of sweat that ran down his forehead. He had been up since the previous night trying to discern the abnormalities within the blood sample on the paltry dish, there were minute differences but no clear distinguishing factor had been isolated yet. Also the person whose blood rested in that dish was none other than his very own adopted son, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto.

The young boy had indeed been told of his biological parentage as well as his status as the holder of the most powerful of the Bijū (Tailed-Beasts), the Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox). Orochimaru believed that keeping any sort of vital information from the boy was a terrible way to form any sort of bond between them, so he had deigned to inform his foster son on his fifth birthday. Which just so happen to have passed the day before.

_Flashback (Previous Evening)_

_Orochimaru's Lab_

_The Snake-Sannin sat calmly at his desk, opposite which sat a slightly more fidgety blond-haired boy. Rolling his eyes at the pent up energy within his adopted son, the man placed two folders onto the sleek wooden finish of the desk's surface. Each of which was labelled with a bright red 'classified' stamp, which was actually a blood seal in disguise._

"_What are these Tou-san?" Naruto inquired with a curios expression on his face, small hand reaching out to grasp the folder towards his left._

"_These are the documents containing information on your birth parents." Holding up a hand to indicate silence, Orochimaru continued. "Before you say anything, know that the information within those files are highly dangerous if they fall into enemy hands. So anything you read inside there, I want you to promise… really promise that you will not tell anybody."_

_Eager at the prospect of finding out who his birth parents were, the young blond had no problem with the stipulated demands. Easily recognising the disguised blood seal, in part due to his training under his foster father as well as his Uzumaki lineage, he bit down on his thumb and smeared some blood across the seal before channelling a minute amount of chakra into it. The seal pulsed with a glow as it sampled the crimson liquid, finding a correct match, it then faded away and unsealed the folder._

_Peeling it open slowly, he was greeted with a picture of blond-hair and deep blue eyes. At first thinking he was looking at a picture of an adult version of himself, his mouth inched open in shock as he slowly recognised that the man he was staring at was none other than the famed Yondaime Hokage. Namikaze Minato, the man responsible for single-handedly wiping out hundreds of Iwa-nin during the Third Great Shinobi War and apparently the man who fathered him as well. At least it explained why he was not around, since he had died defending the village from the Kyuubi exactly five years ago._

_Reading further down the file, his eyes widened further before he dropped the folder in shock. 'My father… did not defeat the Kyuubi by killing it… he sealed it… inside of me? Does that make me the Kyuubi?'_

_Predicting the thoughts that were running through the boy's mind, the Snake-Sannin reached across the table and flicked him across the nose. This succeeded in knocking the blond out of his self-imposed shock and back into reality, where he saw his foster father's serious visage staring straight at him._

"_I know what you were thinking. You are not the Kyuubi. The fox is merely sealed within you, very much like how a sealing scroll works. You and the Kyuubi are two separate beings, it was only through the unfortunate circumstances during your birth that you were stuck with it." Orochimaru explained slowly, making sure that each word sunk into his son's brain. "You can choose to look at this as either a burden or as a blessing, this reservoir of untapped power sealed within you. If you wish to learn how to harness the power of the beast within you, first you have to learn how to accept it and control your emotions."_

"_I… I don't know…" Naruto sighed as he pulled his knees up and hugged them to his chest, his eyes staring aimlessly at the wooden surface of the desk. Orochimaru let a brief flutter of disappointment flitter across his face before it was masked by his serious mask again, no point dwelling over something that was not meant to be so instead he pushed forward the next folder._

"_This folder contains all the information on your mother, note that she was not of Konoha birth but brought here from Uzushiogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides). Do you recall what I have taught you about your clan?" _

"_Uzumaki clan, descended from the Senju clan, which are the people carrying the genes of the younger son of the Rikudou Sennin (Sage of the Six Paths). The Uzumaki chose to branch off from the Senju, though still maintaining strong ties, when they discovered that certain members started exhibiting similar traits. Deep red hair, an instant innate understanding of the most complex Fūinjutsu, larger than average chakra pools, increased longevity and ability to shape and manipulate raw chakra into constructs." Naruto instantly recited off the top of his mind, actually gaining a small smile from the Snake-Sannin._

"_Excellent, please do go ahead and open the file."_

_Giving a nod of acknowledgement, he wasted no time in disabling the seal once again and glanced through his mother's file quickly before reading it slowly the second time around. Uzumaki Kushina, brought from Uzushiogakure to Konohagakure as the best candidate for the Kyuubi's resealing as she exhibited similar chakra to that of Uzumaki Mito. Rose to fame for her beauty, usage of her Chakra Chains, Fūinjutsu and Kenjutsu skills, she was able to fend off an attack by all seven of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū (Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist) and repel them without even resorting to using her Bijū's chakra. Thus earning her the moniker of Konoha no Shinku Megami (Crimson Goddess of the Leaf)._

"_Kaa-san…" Naruto whispered as tears slid silently down his whiskered cheeks, his fingers ghosting over the picture of his mother. 'She didn't abandon me… I had parents who loved me… they sacrificed themselves for me…'_

_Orochimaru looked on emotionlessly on the outside, however on the inside he could feel his own emotions churning in turmoil. As a fellow orphan, though he did have his parents for a short period of time, he could understand what the blond-haired boy was going though. Every child, no matter who or under what condition, will always want to know the love of a parent. The same could be said for every orphan who lost their parents, they want the closure of knowing why they had to lead a parentless life._

_Fortunately for the pale-skinned shinobi, he had found that love from the man who had taken him in and trained him up to the shinobi that stood above all else. The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had all but raised him from the moment his parents had died in a border skirmish. And he had been grateful to the man but his discovery and a further explanation of a piece of skin from a white snake had led to the man being obsessed with Kinjutsu (Forbidden Techniques) that would allow the possibility of rebirth. _

_Thankfully his obsession did not fully take hold, possibly due to the fact that he had suddenly found himself dealing with the troubles of solo parenthood to a hyperactive Jinchuuriki child. Without a doubt the man was still interested in Kinjutsu, even sharing his ideas with his son. The response that he had gotten had caused something within the usually sadistic shinobi to change, the child had told him that his goal was noble as he wanted to save people from dying. Never had the man thought that his research could be used for something other than granting himself immortality, it shook him to the core._

_It was from that point onwards that a rather profound change seemed to settle over the Snake-Sannin, nothing to major though he seemed less cold around his fellow shinobi. He had even started venturing into medical Ninjutsu, taking the time to pour over the notes that he had used to help Tsunade create her Sōzō Saisei (Creation Rebirth) technique. Though useful, he had never been interested in it as the technique shortened the duration of the user's lifespan as cells can only split a certain amount of times in a lifetime. Though it was through his foray into the subject that the scientist-shinobi had discovered a way to simulate the effects of the technique through a complex seal, which operated on medical chakra. This discovery had helped in the saving of many Konohagakure shinobi lives, resulting in a proud Sandaime and a sulking Toad-Sannin._

"_I understand how you feel Naruto, I too was an orphan as I have mentioned to you before… I can't say that I know exactly what you are going through as I had known my own parents before they were taken from me but…" Orochimaru trailed off, honestly at a loss of what to say to comfort the blond-haired child in front of him._

"_It's alright Tou-san… you have been a great dad but… I think that I have to sort this out on my own. At least for now." _

_Understanding that his son needed to be alone for the moment, the Sannin, though reluctant, had allowed the boy to go for a walk so as to clear his head. Returning to his current research of Natural Chakra and its applications, the man hoped that Naruto did not wander too far into the village as it was getting dark soon._

_With Naruto_

_Seated cross-legged atop the head of the Yondaime Hokage, who just so happened to be his birth father, was the form of one Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. His eyes closed in meditation to help calm his raging thoughts, all of which centred on the fact that he now had the knowledge of his parents. His extremely powerful and famous parents._

'_I have to be careful with this information, one slip up and I will have assassins after me faster than Kaka-nii dashing to the bookstore to buy his new books. However I am glad that Tou-san trusted me enough to choose to share this information with me, I promise not to let him down… or my birth parents too.' Naruto thought before bringing his clenched fist up to his chest and thrusting it out towards the night sky, eyes snapping open and glinting with a deadly focus. _

'_I will train harder and become stronger, strong enough to beat Tou-san… and strong enough to become better than the Yondaime too! I won't stop there too, I will become the strongest shinobi in the world! That's my dream!'_

'_**Hahaha I like your style kiddo!'**_

"_Woah!?" Naruto exclaimed in shock as he scrambled to his feet and looked around, narrowing his eyes when he found no trace of an individual. "Who said that? Show yourself!"_

'_**Stop talking aloud kid, people might start thinking you're crazy or something hahaha!'**_

"_Aloud? What do you-" He stopped mid-question as a thought occurred to him before settling back down and closing his eyes. 'Are you… the Kyuubi?'_

'_**Sharp little kid aren't ya? Unfortunately, or is it fortunately, I am not the giant demon fox stuck in your gut.'**_

'_Not the Kyuubi? Wait then… who are you and how are you talking to me inside my mind?' _

'_**How about we chat face to face, just concentrate on the seal and allow it to pull you in.'**_

_Doing as the man said, Naruto felt a slightly disorientating feeling before the sound of water dripping greeted his ears. Opening his eyes, he found himself in an old-fashioned boiler room that seemed to be located in the middle of a sewer-like area. Walking towards the large metal gate, he could see two figures seated on each side of the gate and they appeared to be playing chess. Though the man on the inside of the cage seemed to be materialising some sort of crimson energy, through the gate, into a hand to move his pieces._

_As he approached the duo, the blond-haired child took in both their appearances. The man on the outside wore a black leather jacket with a fur-rimmed collar over a dark-grey muscle shirt and a pair of matching black jeans tucked into black combat boots. His black hair was held in a ponytail and his bangs fell towards the right, obscuring the top portion of the right side of his face. His eyes were rather squinty which gave the man a shifty look, a closer look revealed that his eyes were wine-red in colour. When he moved his left hand to shift a chess piece, it revealed a strange tattoo on the back of it.* _

_The man within the cage was more feral in appearance, wearing nothing more than a pair of red hakama pants and a strange black choker around his neck. His dark-orange hair fell untamed down his back with a few stray strands hanging over the left of his face, which had deep whisker-like markings on both cheeks. The man had crimson eyes with a slit-like pupil, fangs could be seen when he yawned, claws on his hands and nine bushy orange tails that formed some kind of large futon that he laid on. This clued the boy in that apparently the Kyuubi had a human form, which happened to be right in front of him.**_

"_Is somebody going to explain to me why the Kyuubi is playing chess with a stranger inside my mind? Not to mention the giant demon fox had a human form?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, causing both persons to look over._

"_Oh you're here already, honestly thought that would take longer!" Black-haired man stood up and dusted himself off._

"_**I don't have a human form brat. The seal allows me certain… privileges within the mindscape, one of which is to manipulate how I want my form to be perceived. Hence I chose a human form as it would inconvenience me greatly should I choose to play chess in my original form." **__Kyuubi explained with a snort as he gazed lazily through the gates, not bothering to move from his comfortable position._

"_Well I guess it's only fair that I introduce myself… you may call me Greed. Greed, the avaricious at your service!" Taking an exaggerated bow, the man glanced up to see a scrunched up look on the face of the boy._

"_What does… avaricious… even mean anyway!" _

_Sweat dripped down the side of Greed's head as a sheepish laugh escaped his mouth, "Hahaha, with how mature you act sometimes. Not to mention how fast you are learning things under that snake-like parental figure, I forget that you are only a child. Well it means that I am just like my namesake, avaricious means that I am very Greedy. I want power, fame, wealth and women! Anything that the world has to offer!"_

_The glint that passed through the boy's clear blue eyes at the mention of power did not go unnoticed by the pair, a smirk crept onto both of their faces. "I see you have the desire within you… the greed for power! Power to place you above everyone else!"_

"_Hai! I don't know what you are Greed-san but if you can grant me that power…" Naruto dropped onto both knees and bowed his head towards the surprised Homunculus. "I promise to be the best student ever!"_

"_**You're an eager one aren't you? Don't you care that you could effectively be selling your soul to a pair of demons?"**__ Kyuubi chuckled deeply from within his cage, only to feel his eyes widen at the response._

"_I don't care if you're both demons, I don't care that you're the Kyuubi that destroyed Konoha! That only proves how powerful you are… I need that kind of power to protect my precious people. And once I get stronger… I will find a way to release both of you from this seal! Then we can have a real battle!" _

"_**Gyahahaha! You want to battle the strongest of the Bijū eh? You've got guts kid… I'll hold you to that promise." **__Kyuubi said before sighing and facing the black-haired man. __**"Looks like you were right about him… it's definitely going to be an interesting route from here on."**_

"_What'd I tell ya? The kids got potential! Now Naruto, let me show you the first thing that you will be learning under me. My old group used to refer to it as… the Ultimate Shield." Greed held out his hand, allowing his carbonization to crawl its way up from his fingertips all the way up his arm._

"_Sugoi! What kind of jutsu is that!?" Naruto exclaimed with wide eyes and a hungry expression, having gained a fixation for Ninjutsu from his time under Orochimaru._

"_Wrong! It's not a Ninjutsu! More like a kind of Kekkei Genkai that you will gain from having me sealed inside you, I just unlocked your innate ability to do this so from now onwards it should be second-nature to you." _

"_A Kekkei Genkai huh… So it looks awesome and all but… what exactly does it do?" _

"_Listen closely kid, I'll only explain this once and it is rather hard to understand so I will go slowly and try to simplify it for you…" Sighing, Greed ran a hand through his hair as he prepared to explain his innate ability. "Basically this is the ability to carbonize atoms within your body and control those carbon atoms… you can make your skin as hard as diamond, which is super hard carbon or soft like pencil lead, which is very soft carbon. Of course we turn into diamond for battle purposes, basically our skin becomes extremely hard to damage."_

"_So I become almost immune to damage?"_

"_Yes and no. You will be impervious to almost all forms of weapons that can't cut diamond, but certain chakra natures like wind might be able to put a dent into our armour… we will have to test that out to be sure. Also we are immune to lightning based jutsu as our skin will have the structure of diamond, which doesn't conduct electricity. Blunt force trauma will still affect us, things like getting hit by a large object or water, earth and wind Ninjutsu. We won't take as much damage as a normal human will though."_

"_Awesome…"_

"_Hahaha yeah, awesome indeed…" Greed smirked as he grabbed the young blond by the head. "First lesson, I will train you in activating the ability as fast as possible. I want you to be able to transform in a split second by the time we are done with this training hahaha!"_

_What followed could only be described as inhumane torture that will not be described for the sake of every party involved._

_Later that night_

_Imagine Orochimaru's surprise when his son came home sweaty and panting, as if he had just finished running the perimeter of Konoha several times. Now quadruple that reaction and you will get the outcome of his face when Naruto activated his carbonization process and turned the skin of both of his arms into a matte-grey finishing. What stood out were the dull red lines that ran along the length of his arms in a strange pattern, though he barely registered them due to his shock._

"_H-how did you do that?!" Orochimaru rushed over to the grinning boy and grasped both of his hands, closely examining the phenomenon and feeling out the texture of the transformed skin. 'It's hard like metal yet the texture is nearly not smooth enough, some form of hardened mineral exoskeleton?'_

'_Kid remember what we told you, don't disclose any information about us! Even your father has been telling you that a shinobi's greatest advantage is deception.' Greed reminded his student._

"_It just activated Tou-san! I was training after I had decided to become the strongest shinobi ever! So I was punching a training post until my hands were injured, suddenly it transformed when I punched again! And I cracked the post! Isn't it awesome?!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin._

'_An innate Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit)? Impossible! Neither Minato nor Kushina had shown any manifestation of any sort of Kekkei Genkai beyond the standard Uzumaki abilities and Kushina's chakra chains… could it be… Kyuubi? Why would a Bijū want to help a human though? I need to investigate further…' The Snake-Sannin deduced this in a matter of seconds before smiling at his son. "Naruto-kun, I think you just unlocked a new Kekkei Genkai. Do you remember what I explained to you?" _

"_Hai! They are special abilities that are unique to the respective shinobi clans, like the Sharingan to the Uchiha and the Byakugan to the Hyuuga!" _

"_Indeed, so I need to take a few blood samples from you to see what kind of changes your body is going through. Just think of it as a check-up at the hospital, can you do that for me?"_

"_Of course, I'm not afraid of no stupid needle!"_

_30 seconds later_

"_Noooo get it away from meeee!" _

_Orochimaru face-palmed with a sigh as he witnessed the sight of the blond-haired child struggling within the grasp of two of his Boa Constrictors that he had summoned just to hold the boy down. Admirably he could still put up a fight and struggle within their powerful grasps, though the snakes were not even using half of their full strength to be fair. _

"_Naruto-kun, I thought you said that you were not afraid of needles?"_

"_That's a giant ass needle!"_

"_It's still a needle…"_

"_I don't wanna!"_

"_I'll burn down your ramen cabinet…"_

"…_you're evil Tou-san."_

"_Kukuku I try… now are you going to calm down so I can draw your blood without accidently killing you?"_

"_NANI?!"_

"_Kukuku just kidding, you won't die even if I miss."_

"…_fine."_

_Having finally succeeded in convincing him, Orochimaru proceeded to draw several vials worth of blood before placing the lot inside a holding case and storing it inside a fridge._

_Flashback End_

Orochimaru sighed again as he jotted down more notes into his journal, he disliked the fact that the elusive properties of the Kekkei Genkai seemed to be mocking his genius. Closing the small book, he placed it aside and walked into an adjacent room where his usually energetic son was sitting absolutely still with his eyes closed.

"Did you find anything Tou-san?" Naruto inquired as he opened a single eye to look at his father.

"No, your Kekkei Genkai seems to be rather uncooperative… which doesn't surprise me since it came from you after all." Orochimaru smirked at the annoyed expression that appeared.

"Asshole…"

"So how much control of your ability do you have? What is the maximum coverage of protection that you can currently call upon?" He asked, back into scientist mode as he snapped open his journal with a pen at the ready.

Standing up, Naruto pulled off his orange t-shirt which left him in a pair of black boxers. This revealed that he had an extremely toned body for a five year old child, a combination of unlocking his chakra early, light training since a year ago, proper diet and experimental enhancement drugs that he had allowed his father to use on him. Concentrating, the boy called upon his new gift. His skin slowly shifted from the original tanned pigment to the dull grey associated with his Kekkei Genkai, starting from his fingertips all the way up to an inch below his shoulders. The skin on his feet up to his knees were also converted into the armour-like properties of his Kekkei Genkai.

"This is as far as I can go at the moment. Although I don't have to focus on maintaining the transformation once I've shifted, it still is rather unfamiliar to me." Naruto said as he flexed his arms, showing that he still had full motor control despite the different properties of his skin.

"From what I have gathered from tests on your skin so far, it seems to be comprised of compressed and hardened carbon atoms. Your Kekkei Genkai allows you to, speculatively, transform and control your body cells into carbon. Thus giving it the dull-grey appearance and compressed to the point of being as hard as diamond. It is truly fascinating…" Orochimaru explained as he casually struck out with a lightning-fast kunai, the weapon bouncing harmlessly off the transformed arm. "Completely immune to regular weapons…"

"Asshole! That could have injured me!"

"But it didn't."

"Grrr… so what am I supposed to do now?" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms and glaring off to the side.

"Well there is only one thing to do… time to run more tests!" The Sannin chuckled at the horrified face that appeared on the face of his son.

Test 1

"Okay Naruto-kun, we will be testing if your carbon skin is capable of conducting electricity."

"What?"

"I'm going to test if you can be hurt by lightning jutsu."

"Oh I see… wait how are you going to do that?" Naruto asked, worry seeping into his tone.

"Don't worry, it is perfectly safe. All you have to do is grab the two poles in front of you, simple right?" The man gestured to the two metal rods standing up vertically, seemingly harmless in appearance.

Seeing nothing wrong with the instructions given, the blond-haired boy walked forward and grasped onto both of the poles. A few seconds passed without anything occurring, he let go with a shrug and saw his father scribbling down into his journal. "So what did that have to do with lightning jutsu?"

"Oh, there was a strong electrical current running through the circuit. Since nothing happened when you grabbed the conducting rods, you won't be affected much by lightning jutsu. If you could be hurt by lightning jutsu then you would have gotten badly electrocuted by the test, nothing fatal though." Orochimaru explained as he walked towards another door. "Kukuku on towards the next test!"

"…" Naruto glared silently at the retreating back before heaving a sigh and trudging along behind the man.

Test 2

"Please activate your Kekkei Genkai and then place your hands into the holes Naruto-kun."

Naruto observed the contraption in front of him with an air of wariness about him, it seemed to be some sort of oblong shaped device with two circular holes for him to place his hands through. Seeing nothing overly suspicious with it, the boy went along with his instructions and placed his transformed arms into the designated holes.

"What is this test for Tou-san?"

"Kukuku… this test is to determine how well your carbon skin fares against heat." Orochimaru replied before tapping a button.

"I don't understand… is it just me or is it getting kind of warm in here?" Naruto asked as he felt the temperature staring to rise a little, along with a slight tingling feeling from his hands.

"Ah that would be due to the amount of fire being generated inside the device that you are using."

"I see…" The blond nodded in understanding before the words suddenly registered inside his head. "Asshole! What kind of father asks his son to stick his hands inside a furnace?!"

"Well you know the saying, if you don't play with fire then you would not know if you would get burnt." Orochimaru stated logically as he scribbled down this newest development.

"Isn't it 'don't play with fire if you don't want to get burnt'?" Naruto asked as he closely inspected his hands, making sure that his skin had not been singed off by his crazy father.

"Hmm is it?" Somehow the offhanded reply seemed to piss off the blond-haired kid even more. "Well no need to worry, I seem to have acquired the data needed for the moment."

"So?"

"Well in conclusion, it seems that your new ability renders your skin impervious to damage from piercing and slashing. You are also immune to lightning jutsu as your armour does not conduct electricity and fire jutsu will probably deal a lot less damage than it is supposed to." The Sannin read aloud from his impromptu report. "Based on all that, the only reasonable outcome is that you have the ability to turn your skin into a kind of carbon compound just as hard as diamond. This will definitely boost your taijutsu prowess with the right style, I might have to pull a few strings…"

"Huh? I thought you were already teaching me your Inshō-Hebiken (Striking-Snake Fist) style of fighting?"

"Of course, but with this recent development. My style of fighting will not benefit you the most, however you can incorporate aspects of my style alongside whatever other style you learn and develop your own form of Taijutsu. Something that will take advantage of your durable skin." Orochimaru said before shivering a little, he could not believe that he would have to ask a favour of that man. 'Kuso, Sarutobi-sensei and the brat so owe me for this…'

"Awesome! I can't wait to meet my new sensei!"

He would soon come to regret those words.

_Following Day_

_0700_

"Who the hell meets this early in the day?!" Naruto cursed at the sky, stifling a yawn in the process.

The blond-haired boy had been awoken by his father at this ungodly hour, only to be told that he would be meeting his new taijutsu teacher at Training Field Nine in five minutes time. He had leapt out of bed, changed into his training clothes and sped off towards his destination, all the while spouting random curses about insane father figures.

Taking a look around, he noted that Training Field Nine seemed to have a taijutsu focus with all the wooden posts situated around the field for practicing. The well-worn surfaces of the wooden posts suggested that they were in constant use, since it could not be that a wealthy village such as Konoha would neglect to replace their training equipment. Seeing as his new teacher had not arrived yet, he decided to practice the few steps that his father had taught him in regards to the Inshō-Hebiken style.

'Relax your posture. Keep your hands held loosely by your face. Legs spread shoulder-width apart. Bounce lightly from foot to foot.'

The principal of Inshō-Hebiken laid in blindingly-fast strikes and a flexible form, allowing the user to strike fast and hard whilst bypassing any feeble guard the opponent might raise at the short notice given. Regulating his breathing, the blond proceeded to throw several quick jabs at the wooden post in front of him. Taking pleasure in the sting of his knuckles and the sound of his fist impacting against the post, he threw a succession of jabs followed by a sudden burst of kicks ranging from low to high along the post.

"That's the Inshō-Hebiken, I'd recognise it anywhere! For someone so young to have already seem so fluent, your flames of youth burn brightly in this rising sun!" A sudden voice shouted out, breaking him from out from his concentration.

Turning to face the voice, he immediately regretted his decision and wished that he could rewind time and decided to not even climb out of bed this morning. For the man standing in front of him was dressed in the most absurd clothing that he had ever laid his eyes on, a one-piece green jumpsuit that covered him from top to bottom. Over which laid the standard Konoha Jounin Flak Jacket, his hair styled in a bowl-shaped cut and his caterpillar-sized eyebrows along with his gleaming white teeth displayed in a grin was forever cemented in the young boy's memories.

"Who the hell are you?" Unfortunately the Snake-Sannin was not exactly the most sociable of characters, thus leading to a lack of etiquette in the boy he had raised.

"Forgive me! I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself! I am Maito Gai! The beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" The eccentric Jounin announced with a grin and a thumbs up, somehow producing an aura of the sun beaming around him.

Deciding that it would be better for his psyche if he chose to ignore that, "I am Uzumaki Naruto, son of Orochimaru the Sannin."

"Ah so you are young Naruto-kun! I am the taijutsu specialist that your father had asked a favour from, I apologize for being late! You see I had awoken early this morning to do my standard 100 laps around Konoha, but then I met my hip rival who had just returned from a mission and challenged him to a duel! However he refused to partake in our time-honoured tradition so I tried to convince him to-"

The rest of whatever Gai was saying seemed to fall on deaf ears as Naruto had stopped listening after the revelation that this weird person in front of him was to be his taijutsu teacher. Sure the man seemed nice enough, he was a certified Jounin too but he was just way too eccentric. Not to mention his hideous sense of fashion.

"Wait… you're saying that you are the renowned taijutsu specialist that Tou-san was talking about?" Naruto did not bother hiding the tone of disbelief from his voice, though the man did not seem to take offense.

"Hai! I will be instructing you in the ways of the Goken (Strong Fist) style that my very own father had developed and passed down to me, it is a style that focuses on speed and heavy hits. It is different from the Inshō-Hebiken in the way that where Orochimaru-sama's style is flexible, my style is rigid and stiff. So do not be disheartened if you find it hard to adapt at first, the two styles are almost polar opposites after all." Gai explained, his voice taking on a serious tone.

"So why bother learning this style if it is so different to my own?" Naruto asked, though he was inwardly relieved that his new sensei had a serious side.

"Well your father had not mentioned anything to me but I can guess his intentions… I would say that he is hoping that you would be able to incorporate the two different styles into something that would be more fitting for yourself. A new taijutsu style so to speak." Gai paused for a moment before his usual grin appeared. "Orochimaru-sama is definitely wise to start you this early, creating an original taijutsu style is no easy feat and would take years to accomplish. However seeing as you have two base styles to work from, it should not take as long as creating one from scratch."

"I understand Gai-sensei. I look forward to learning from you!"

"Yosh! Let our flames of youth burn brightly Naruto-kun! For starters, give me 50 laps around the training ground followed by 200 push-ups and 200 sit-ups which will be followed by 200 squats!" Gai pumped his fist in the air as he ranted on, completely missing the look on the face of his newest pupil.

Somewhere deep inside his laboratory, Orochimaru allowed a brief smile to flitter across his visage when he heard the scream of rage that echoed throughout Konoha.

'Kukuku… you will thank me eventually Naruto-kun…'

* * *

**Well that wraps it up for this chapter! As you can see, Orochimaru decided to entrust Naruto with all of the secrets that surrounded his life. Also we see the first meeting between Naruto, Greed and Kurama! Naruto will be under the tutelage of Gai, who has yet to meet Lee so he has the time to spare in instructing our favourite blond in the ways of the Goken!**

**As always please drop a review letting me know what you think about the story!**

**Ja ne!**

**_*Greed-Ling wearing an imitation of the original Greed's choice of clothing, the Ouroboros tattoo marked on his hand._**

**_**Imagine Hagoromo (Rikudou Sennin) with all those added features. That is how I envisioned Kurama to look in this story. _**


End file.
